A Night with the Careers
by SassySunshine
Summary: A one-shot about Peeta's first night with the Careers in the Hunger Games. Peeta can't sleep after he notices Katniss noticing him with the Careers. Clove decides to sing a 'little song' to 'calm his nerves.'


**This just popped into my head the other night, so I wrote it.**

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A Night with the Careers  
by SassySunshine

I watch as the five of them plot how to murder Katniss, as if I'm not there standing. Marina, the girl from 4, mentions something about using her net skills to trap Katniss and beat her to death with nothing but their fists and boots. Clove suggests letting her do it, what with her array of knives in her jacket. Cato only looks at his sword; that, for him, is suggestion enough. Glimmer laughs maniacally when suggesting she gets killed by her own weapon of choice: a bow and arrow. Marvel whines about using his spear to stab her multiple times until she bleeds to death.

"What do you think, Lover Boy?" Glimmer asks me, batting her eyes.

"Uhm…," is all I manage to spit out.

"Well go ahead, Bread Boy, say something," Marina taunts.

"I-I could kill her," I stammer nervously. "I-I can use a-a knife, or a s-sword."

"I like the way he thinks. I can see the headline now: _Peeta Mellark, the Boy in Love with the Girl on Fire, Kills Her in 74__th__ Annual Hunger Games_!" Clove says with a sadistic grin.

"A little wordy, Clove," Cato says.

I don't say anything when they begin an argument over who would have a better title. Glimmer and Marvel soon join in, leaving Marina and I to lead them through the forest. The setting seems so foreign to me, because all I did with my life was sit in my bakery all day and do chores. I know for a fact Katniss is faring far better than I am; she practically _lives_ in that forest of hers. Of course, Gale is always there with her, keeping her plenty of company…just as I should be doing now. But instead I followed Haymitch's orders, and here I am, leading the Career pack straight to Katniss, when I'm supposed to be leading them away.

I'm beginning to question whether or not Haymitch was sober when he gave me directions to make the Careers like me and get them to listen to me. Oh well.

…

Soon the moon rises in the arena sky, followed by the anthem of Panem. The Capitol seal appears with the day's dead tributes. Eleven in all are dead. Katniss is not one among them. That's a relief; my purpose still stands. I lean back against the tree limb and try to get some rest when Glimmer has to cut in saying something.

"Somebody lit a fire," she says in a low tone, a large grin on her face. The rest of the Careers' faces light up with pleasure. I have to get up, too then. The five of them begin to sprint toward the light and burning smoke. I lag behind them as they race toward the burning. When I finally do get there, I try to stay in the background. The five of them gather round a freezing-looking, terrified girl. I believe she's from 8.

"Hello there," Clove says in a voice that's dripping with venom. The District 8 girl whimpers, only widening the grins on the Careers' faces. Marina nets her, and then Cato takes out his sword and makes a cut on the girl's calf. Clove slashes the girl's arms.

"Don't kill me! STOP! PLEASE!" the girl pleads as the torture goes on. Glimmer tries, and miserably fails, shooting an arrow at the girl's heart. Instead, she hits her in the thigh. The 8 girl cries out in wicked pain. Marvel spears her in the shoulder to attempt to make her scream louder, and needless to say, it's very effective. The girl screams at the top of her lungs before falling on her side, twitching with her eyes closed.

"She's as good as dead. Let's go," Marina says with a triumphant grin on her face. I grimace like I didn't just see that and obey the Careers. We walk for some ways and stop right under a thick tree canopy when the realization hits Cato.

"I didn't hear any cannon," he growls.

As he's saying this, I notice a boot up in the tree. I glance up subtly, trying not to draw attention, and see Katniss there, looking at Cato in shock. It's only a matter of time before she'll meet my gaze, so I tear away.

"You guys go find camp. I'll finish her," I say.

"Alright, Lover Boy, make it slow and painful," Clove says as she waves the others on.

I feel Katniss's eyes on me as I walk away, a knife in my hand. When I do get to the girl from 8 again, blood is everywhere and her eyes are barely open. But she's still breathing. Horror registers on her face when she sees me, the boy who sat by and did nothing while the Careers seriously injured her.

"I'm really sorry," I whisper. "I-If you'd like, I'll e-end your suffering for you now." The girl's expression softens. She nods at me to make the kill. I hesitate – killing things…no, people…is not what I do. I want people to be happy and full of life. I sigh and bring the knife behind her left ear, slicing the aorta, the main and biggest artery. Blood sprays out and within seconds I hear the cannon. My lower lip trembles when I see what I've done.

"I'm so sorry," I whisper when I walk away.

…

"I heard the cannon. Nice work, Lover Boy," Marvel says. I don't reply. Instead, I sit on the grass.

"Now that that's done, let's get some shut-eye," Cato says, lying down. As soon as his head hits the grass, he's out. Marina and Glimmer follow. Marvel goes down next, and soon enough Clove and I are the only ones still awake. I can't sleep at all. Clove sharpens her knives at the fire. I can't stop thinking about Katniss and how she saw me with the Careers. What is she thinking now? She's probably plotting how to kill me gently without making District 12 hate her for it.

"You can't sleep, can ya, Lover Boy?" Clove comments snidely from the fire.

"No, I can't," I reply bluntly.

"Well how about a little song to calm those nerves of yours?" she says with a grin. I grimace.

"Sure…"

Clove puts down her knives and crawls closer to me, kneeling down right in front of me.

"It's about Katniss, just to make you feel better," she says. Something tells me this isn't going to make me feel any better, not at all.

"O-Okay…," I mutter.

"_One, two…Clove is coming for you…_," Clove is slow and whispery when she sings. It's like in some old, old horror movie from centuries ago that I found lying around in my family's box of random junk.

"_Three, four…there will be fire no more…_," Clove says, leaning forward now. I lean just a little bit back.

"_Five, six…say bye-bye to Katniss..._," Clove says louder, leaning even more forward. She's nearly over me now, and if she leans forward any more she'll have me pinned to the ground.

"_Seven, eight…Lover Boy was too late…_," she mocks me now, pinning me to the ground as if Katniss really is in trouble. She has a crazed look in her eye.

"_Nine, ten…they never saw each other again…_," Clove's face is nearly touching mine. I can't form any words; all that comes out is a strangled, surprised gasp at her 'little song' to 'calm my nerves.'

"Good night, Peeta," she says cheerfully, pushing off of me with a sunshiny smile, as if what just happened didn't just happen. She curls up next to Cato and falls asleep. I'm dazed now as I lie on the ground.

What a night with the Careers…yeesh.

This is gonna be a _long_ Hunger Games.

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**I do not own Hunger Games nor the characters associated with it. I also do not own the tune/beginning lyrics of the Freddy song. **

**Yeah, I had to do that. A scene with Clove and Peeta like that has been in my head for days. LOL.**


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